An earlier post – “Brotherly Love” – contained an image of two cheetah brothers after an unsuccessful hunt of an Impala ram.

These images show one of the brothers in full flight attempting to run down the Impala. The two extremes of his stride show that in the first image the back paws are in front of the front paws; while the second image shows the opposite extreme of the cheetah’s stride when at full speed. All four feet are off the ground and his body is fully extended!

In this particular instance he was quick but not deadly!

CheetahAcinonyx jubatus

The cheetah is a large feline (family Felidae, subfamily Felinae) inhabiting most of Africa and parts of Iran. It is the only extant member of the genus Acinonyx. The cheetah can run faster than any other land animal— as fast as 112 to 120 km/h (70 to 75 mph) in short bursts covering distances up to 500 m (1,600 ft), and has the ability to accelerate from 0 to 100 km/h (62 mph) in three seconds.

The cheetah is a unique felid, with its closest living relatives being the puma and jaguarundi of the Americas. This cat is notable for modifications in the species’ paws, being one of the few felids with only semi-retractable claws. [Ref: Wikipedia]

This image was captured in the Masai Mara conservancy, south west Kenya, East Africa.